Are All Divorce Attorneys Created Equal?

Interviewer : Do you find that most divorce attorneys welcome complexity in these situations or they shy away from it because they’re just not equipped to handle it?

Mark Kezy : There are many divorce attorneys at different levels. There are attorneys out there that just want to do the very garden variety. When I say garden variety, they want to do nothing but uncontested divorces. They’re the type of attorneys who are out there advertising divorces in one day for $250. Do they want the complex case? No, they don’t want that.

A Divorce Attorney Must Have a Comprehensive Background That Includes Knowledge of Tax Law, Financial Planning and Bankruptcy Law

There are some attorneys that do a little bit of everything, that dabble in divorces. Do they want the complex cases? No. Then there are a number of attorneys out there that have been practicing for a number of years that they welcome the complex cases.

They understand, not only the area of divorce, but they understand the other areas that kind of go hand in hand with divorce, such as taxes. Taxes are a big issue. They understand bankruptcy. Bankruptcy laws are important, especially when you get into the more complex issues. Understanding retirement plans and how they work and how they’re valued, how stocks work, how stock options work is important in the complex cases.

There are attorneys that want to do that. There are attorneys that don’t want to do that. It just depends on their level of expertise.

Interviewer : Do you ever bring in professionals that are specialized in these other areas that are instrumental to the divorce to help you?

Mark Kezy : You do depending on how complex it is. Let’s say, for instance, you have businesses. Sometimes what you have to do is you have to bring in people that will value these businesses, and value the real estate. So yes, in that instance a consultation with an appraiser is valuable. In my opinion, just because you understand an issue, it doesn’t mean you’re an expert. Knowing where it begins and where it stops is important.

Do Men and Women View Divorce Differently?

Interviewer : Do you see that men and women view divorce differently?

Mark Kezy : No, how they view it does not depend on whether they’re men or women. It really depends more on their socioeconomic background. What happens is when you represent business owners and you represent other professionals, they tend to look at it more from a business standpoint. It’s more of a question of how they treat it depends on their education and their income levels.